Friday, January 23, 2015

Being a part of The Frenzied SLP's is very exciting for me! We are a great group of SLPs looking to share tips, tricks, and the like as they relate to Speech-Language Pathology. The FB page for all things "frenzied" can be found here: The Frenzied SLPs

In this post I hope to tell you all a little about myself and also share with you a little "trick" I've used in the past when working with groups of students.

1. I was born and raised in a small town in Texas (graduating class of 57). Growing up my family had lots of animals: goats, pigs, cows, rabbits, chickens, hedgehogs, and sheep to name a few. :) It was hard work, but I wouldn't change it. Looking back now as an adult, I am thankful for the memories and experiences!

2. As far back as I can remember I was in the kitchen cooking and baking with my Mom. I love to try new recipes while still using some favorites I grew up on. When my children say, "Mmm, this is good Momma," it melts my heart and them liking it is what matters.

3. My family and I love to camp, fish, hike, and just play outside! Yearly, we take a "glamping" (glamorous camping) trip to the river. It is a time we all look forward to just being together as a family (no technology allowed). We "unplug" and have a blast!! "Glamping" is better when babies are involved, but my husband and two young boys take part in primitive camping each year as well with just tents and a campfire.

4. In August 2014 my family and I moved to South Korea for our first expatriate assignment. After almost six months, I am feeling comfortable and settled in our new home. S. Korea is a very safe and friendly place to raise children. However, being a Texas girl, there are things that I miss...aside from the obvious, family and friends, I miss REAL Mexican food. To find Mexican food here in Korea, it is a good four hour drive or three hour train ride. I also miss working in the schools, but am continually using my knowledge as a SLP to help my children develop. :)

Now for the "trick" I like to use when working with groups! When I was working in the schools, as recent as last school year, I found it helpful for the children to take part in keeping track of their successes. I was fortunate to have a "kidney-bean" shaped table (but this trick should work on any table top...test it out) and could easily monitor the children monitoring themselves. All you need is a dry erase marker and an eraser. (Pictured below is an example of children writing on a table top. Although, this is not my picture (my picture of this trick didn't make it to Korea), you get the idea of what I'm talking about.

as a pacing guide for multisyllabic words (I'd make a rectangle and divide it up depending on the number of syllables being targeted and the child would monitor that all syllables were said.)

as a means to reach a target goal of correct responses during language sessions (i.e., if the target were five correct the student would be responsible for making "check marks" until five correct responses were reached.)

a way to represent/remind students of the specific sound(s) being targeted during articulation groups

as a way to sort/categorize during language groups by drawing T charts, venn diagrams, etc. giving objects/pictures a designated place on the table

Sunday, August 11, 2013

School has started for some, and is just around the corner for others. In this Blog Hop, you will get the chance to collect great back to school ideas for SLPs, win prizes and get freebies by touring 17 fantastic blogs!

Use the Linkytools at the bottom of this post to hop around 17 blogs, collect ideas and the clues!

This year I am going to be at a new school with new students. Seeing a "new" face on campus is hard for some students. In an effort to make the first day of speech fun, I like to do activities that will help me learn about the students, and also get an idea of what motivates them. To me, knowing what motivates and what is fun for students is key! Children learn best when they are having fun! I have created an activity to use during my first speech sessions. This activity is child centered an allows the students to draw themselves, and draw/write about their three favorite things. I will then use this information the rest of the school year to challenge and engage them with their own favorites! I hope you find this activity useful as well. It is in black and white to reduce the use of colored ink, and to make it easy to copy. (Should you have an alternate idea, suggestion, or want the activity tailored to fit your needs, feel free to email me at justwrightspeech@gmail.com.)

The activity I am donating to the goodie basket of TPT products is: Understanding Negation , and can be found in my TPT store by clicking the link. Take a minute to download the preview of the activity for FREE!

Now back to the Blog Hop:

5 WINNERS will receive a goodie basket of TPT products.

1 GRAND PRIZE WINNER will receive the basket of TPT products and the following:

* TpT Gift Card for $50!

*School of Multi-Step Directions App from Virtual Speech Center

*Articulation Station App from Little Bee Speech

* Kid In Story App from Locomotive Apps

The rules of the contest are simple:

* You must decode a secret message

* In order to complete this task, you will need to visit each of the 17 blogs and find the OWL CLUE

* The OWL CLUE will include one word that is part of the code. * When you enter the contest through Rafflecopter on any of the blogs, you will be asked to type in the secret code. Have fun and enjoy blog hopping with us! The contest will run from: August 11- 17, 2013.

Enjoy reading through the blogs, downloading the freebies, and participating in our Blog Hop! Good luck everyone!

About Me

Hello! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I am a Speech-Language Pathologist working in the public schools and I LOVE IT! I received my Masters in Communication Disorders from Texas State University-San Marcos. I am constantly building my 'tool-box' of therapy materials. I plan to share my ideas here, and welcome your comments and thoughts as well.

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I have created this blog to share my thoughts and ideas as they relate to speech-language therapy for children. It was created on my personal time. The thoughts, ideas, and materials are mine, and they do not represent the thoughts or opinions of others.